Boston

NBC10 Boston Responds: Getting Rid of a Pesky Pole

Fenway Park isn't the only place in Boston with a "pesky pole." Recently, a viewer reached out to the NBC10 Boston Responds team when she couldn't get an worrisome utility pole in her yard removed.

Leslie Gaydos stepped in to help get the problem fixed.

Cheryl Proffitt has had a pole in her Boston backyard since she bought her house 17 years ago, but it became a concern after a February storm.

"I noticed that the pole is shaking so much that I decided I would call Verizon and let them know that the pole is shaking," said Proffitt.

She also noticed wires hanging from it.

"You worry," said Proffitt. "If I have visitors, I don't let them go out back. I don't know what is going to happen, so I prefer to be on the safe side."

Proffitt says she called Verizon and they told her to call Eversource. Eversource directed her back to Verizon, because the pole had her Verizon cell service line connected to it.

"After I called, I notice one day when I came home from work that someone tied it with a white cord, they tied it to the tree," she explained. "It's still unstable. What if the tree branches break? That's double trouble."

She says she tried to get the problem taken care of with Verizon for months.

"They said they would call the field supervisor and the field supervisor would call me," she said. "No one called me."

"I've been calling back and forth, and every time I call, it's a different answer, so I decided I would look for help in other places," Proffitt added.

That's when she contacted NBC10 Boston Responds. We reached out to Verizon and helped to get both parties talking and negotiate a resolution. This month, the pole finally came down.

"We are committed to providing our customers with the best experience possible," Verizon said in a statement. "We offered several solutions to Ms. Proffitt, who ultimately decided to have the pole removed and not replaced."

Proffitt switched wireless carriers, and now she has a box with underground wiring in her yard. She says she's pleased to have the pole problem behind her.

If you have a utility pole on your property that is damaged in a storm, be careful. Never touch or move any downed lines.

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